Congressional Catch-up: Laura Fine

Laura Fine has represented Illinois Ninth Congressional District in the State Senate since 2019. Before being elected to the State Senate, she was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives representing the 17th district. 

After her husband was involved in a car accident, Fine fought in the General Assembly for affordable access to mental healthcare and grew the healthcare workforce, according to her website. Fine is the Chair of the Behavioral and Mental Health Committee and the Vice-Chair of the Insurance Committee in the Illinois Senate. 

Economy

Fine said wages haven’t kept up with the rising cost of goods like rent, college tuition and groceries. She supports a 15 dollar minimum wage and increased taxes on millionaires and billionaires to support programs like student loan forgiveness and affordable housing while protecting union rights. 

Immigration

Fine recognized immigration and diversity as a strength, not a threat. She said the green card and asylum process should be streamlined, and there should be community based alternatives to detention to protect immigrants and families. She said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is currently destroying families, and needs to be reigned in and stopped from inflicting cruelty. She said ICE should instead prioritize the safety of folks making the difficult journey at the border and actual security threats, not family separation and intimidation.

Young Voters

Democrats did very poorly among Gen-Z men in 2024. Fine said young voters feel pressure from inflation, expensive healthcare and mounting student debt, and they want real change instead of empty slogans. Though Fine thinks Democrats haven’t been perfect, she said Democrats can lead on issues popular among young people like cost of living, LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive justice.

Protecting Democracy

Fine said the system is rigged against voters by corporate interests buying power and the rolling back of voter rights by the Supreme Court. If elected, Fine said she would fight against voter suppression and ensure ballot access for every American fighting for automatic voter registration, early voting access and mail in ballots, all things she has fought for in Illinois already. 

Gaza, Israel and the Age Divide

Fine said Israel hasn’t committed genocide in Gaza. According to the United Nations, Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. 

In a later email to the Phoenix, Fine said Israel had committed unacceptable collective punishment in Gaza.

Fine said Israel and Gaza is a complicated issue, and she supports a two-state solution where Palestinians and Israelis can live in peace. She said she hoped the current ceasefire holds and was encouraged by “the Arab countries’” participation in peace. 

A Harvard CAPS-Harris poll conducted Oct. 1-2 showed 71% of voters ages 18-21 disapproved of Israel’s conduct in the Israel-Hamas conflict while only 52% of voters ages 45-54 and 44% of voters 55-64 disapproved of Israel’s conduct. Fine said the disparity in views of Israel needs to be studied and attributes this disparity to social media usage and possibly changing education in schools. 

Abortion

Fine said everyone should have access abortion regardless of their zip code, income or insurance coverage because reproductive healthcare is healthcare. 

Climate Change

Fine, the chair of the Green Caucus in the State Legislature, said she was on the forefront of passing state laws to reduce emissions and plastic pollution. In Washington, she said she would work toward making the United States 100% reliant on green energy while creating union jobs

Most Important Issue

Affordable healthcare has been a major issue for Fine since her husband was involved in a car accident and her insurance company tried to “literally bankrupt” her and her family. She said she will fight insurance companies and hold them accountable because health insurance is incredibly important to Americans’ well-being.